A part-time landscape gardener has been jailed for 44 weeks after dumping piles of bin bags, wooden planks, containers and cans just off the A3.

Billy Eastwood, of Woodstock Lane South, in Claygate left behind the rubbish in his own road forcing environmental officers to cordon the area off as a potential health hazard on at least three occasions.

He was caught after a Surrey Police sting and taken to court where he admitted eight counts of disposing of waste without a licence at Guildford Crown Court on Monday.

Claygate councillor Mary Marshall said the jail time was “definitely” justified and she hoped it would deter others.

Speaking of those affected by illegal fly-tippers she added: “Fly-tippers take the money of the innocent victims who think they are paying to have their rubbish tipped and they tip it down the street.”

In the past two weeks there have been two more fly-tips in Woodstock Lane South.

But the borough has been blighted by litter and waste for some years.

Last June a horse was killed by a car in the same street Eastwood lived on because the owner was forced to walk it in the road after a dumped bed and mattress blocked the bridleway. No one has ever been prosecuted for this.

In August that year loved-ones faced turmoil after the entrance to Burvale cemetery in Burwood Road, Hersham, was also blocked by household waste.

Eastwood, 26, who is a father, was previously warned about ditching waste illegally by an Elmbridge Council environment enforcement officer in 2012 after he undercut legitimate waste carriers and dumped his loads in quiet country lanes.

Evidence from six fly-tips in Woodstock Lane South, one in Fairmile Common, Cobham, and others in Fetcham, Mole Valley, saw charges brought against Eastwood.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Our view is that prison should be reserved for violent offenders who are a continual danger.

“What is best is to get people to make amends for what they have done. Some kind of repayment to the community is much better than a short period in custody.”

The Prison Reform Trust echoed the league’s sentiments and said fines or community service should be encouraged instead.

The council has boosted its efforts to crack down on fly-tippers in recent months with rewards for people identifying culprits of illegal rubbish dumps.

Weybridge South Councillor Glenn Dearlove, portfolio holder for the environment, said: “We are proud of the wonderful environment in Elmbridge, and we are committed to tackling this type of environmental crime.”